Use Bootstrap's custom button styles for actions in forms, dialogs, and more. Includes support for a handful of contextual variations, sizes, states, and more.
## Contents
* Will be replaced with the ToC, excluding the "Contents" header
{:toc}
## Examples
Bootstrap includes six predefined button styles, each serving its own semantic purpose.
{% example html %}
<!-- Provides extra visual weight and identifies the primary action in a set of buttons -->
Using color to add meaning to a button only provides a visual indication, which will not be conveyed to users of assistive technologies – such as screen readers. Ensure that information denoted by the color is either obvious from the content itself (the visible text of the button), or is included through alternative means, such as additional text hidden with the `.sr-only` class.
{% endcallout %}
## Button tags
The `.btn` classes are designed to be used with the `<button>` element. However, you can also use these classes on `<a>` or `<input>` elements (though some browsers may apply a slightly different rendering).
When using button classes on `<a>` elements that are used to trigger in-page functionality (like collapsing content), rather than linking to new pages or sections within the current page, these links should be given a `role="button"` to appropriately convey their purpose to assistive technologies such as screen readers.
In need of a button, but not the hefty background colors they bring? Replace the default modifier classes with the `.btn-*-outline` ones to remove all background images and colors on any button.
Buttons will appear pressed (with a darker background, darker border, and inset shadow) when active. **There's no need to add a class to `<button>`s as they use a pseudo-class**. However, you can still force the same active appearance with `.active` (and include the <code>aria-pressed="true"</code> attribute) should you need to replicate the state programmatically.
This class uses `pointer-events: none` to try to disable the link functionality of `<a>`s, but that CSS property is not yet standardized and isn't fully supported in Opera 18 and below, or in Internet Explorer 11\. In addition, even in browsers that do support `pointer-events: none`, keyboard navigation remains unaffected, meaning that sighted keyboard users and users of assistive technologies will still be able to activate these links. So to be safe, use custom JavaScript to disable such links.
{% endcallout %}
## Button plugin
Do more with buttons. Control button states or create groups of buttons for more components like toolbars.
### Toggle states
Add `data-toggle="button"` to toggle a button's `active` state. If you're pre-toggling a button, you must manually add the `.active` class **and**`aria-pressed="true"` to the `<button>`.
Bootstrap's `.button` styles can be applied to other elements, such as `<label>`s, to provide checkbox or radio style button toggling. Add `data-toggle="buttons"` to a `.btn-group` containing those modified buttons to enable toggling in their respective styles.
The checked state for these buttons is **only updated via `click` event** on the button. If you use another method to update the input—e.g., with `<input type="reset">` or by manually applying the input's `checked` property—you'll need to toggle `.active` on the `<label>` manually.
Note that pre-checked buttons require you to manually add the `.active` class to the input's `<label>`.
